Sterilized toilet seat



Aug. 7, 1951 K. BEYROT 2,563,095'

STERILIZED TOILET SEAT Filed March 10, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet l v ATTORNEYS Aug. 7, 1951 K. BEYRODT STERILIZED TOILET SEAT 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 10, 1948 lNVENTOR BY M' (M ATTORNEYS n Allg 7, 1951 Y l K. BEYRODT 2,563,095

STERILIZED TOILET SEAT Filed March lO, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS K. BEYRODT STERILIZED TOILET SEAT Aug. 7, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March l0, 1948 INVENTOR J7 ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 7, 1951 STERILIZED TOILT SEAT Kurt Beyrodt, Williston Park, Ni Y.

Application March 10, 1948, serial No. 14,002

(cia-251) 2 Claims. l

This invention relates to power operated toilet seats and more particularly to automatic sterilized toilet seats of the type in which the toilet seat, ywhen not in use, occupies a raised position in a cabinet where it is subjected to ultraviolet germicidal radiation furnished by a suitable germicidal lamp.

yAri object of the invention is to provide a fully automatic push-button operated toilet seat that is simplel in construction, requires a minimum of service and is suitable for mass production at low cost. A particular feature of the invention is the use of a solenoid for supplying the power to operate the toilet seat. By using a solenoid to supply the necessary power, it is possible to avoid the use of expensive parts such as electric motors, gearing and the like and to make all of the necessary mechanism by simple, inexpensive stamping operations and lby using inexpensive switch contacts and spring elements which can be produced in quantity at minimum cost.

My improved solenoid-operated toilet seat can be installed by anyone because it is only necessary to mount the cabinet and the seat on the ordinary' support provided on all toilet bowls, and the solenoid control circuit can be connected to a standard electric service outlet. The seat mechanism can be operated by merely touching a push-button to initiate the lowering of the seat and thereafter the mechanism operates automatically, the seat being ultimately returned to its raised position in the cabinet where it is subjected to the ultraviolet radiation of the germicidal lamp mounted in the cabinet.

I prefer to employ a retarding device such as a dashpot mechanism for controlling the rate of movement of the toilet seat from one position to another so that there are no noisy or sharp impacte as the seat is moved from one position to another.

My improved toilet seat embodies safety features such that a person cannot possibly be hurt by the movement of the seat or the mechanism regardless of any careless or accidental manipulation of the mechanism or oi the movable toilet seat. The movement is produced by spring pressure only and the seat can be forced up or down manually without any danger of injuring the mechanism in any way. It is not necessary to provide any hydraulic connections for operating the mechanism as is the case with hydraulically operated toilet seats and these expensive complications are thus avoided and long life is assured because the corroding effect of leaky water lines frequently encountered with hydraulic de vices is avoided.

In general, my improved toilet seat mechanism comprises a push-button control solenoid for moving the toilet seat in one direction and simultaneously compressing the spring which provides the necessary power for returning the toilet seat to its initial position. Thus in a preferred embodim'ent of my invention, I employ a solenoid connected to a pivoted seat support through a resilient spring connection or the like whereby operation of a push-button to energize the solenoid lowers the seat automatically to a convenient intermediate position about two inches above the.l toilet bowl. The seat is automatically latched in this position and the push-button circuit is automatically disconnected while the seat is in this. latched position and the solenoid is also deener-l gized when the seat is in this position. When the seat is pressed down to a position substantially horizontal, the latch mechanism is manipulated so as to permit free movement of the seat to its extreme raised position when the seat is released. The seat is held in its latched interm mediate position by a spring bar carried by the pivoted support for the toilet seat so that if the seat is` forced upward from this position, the spring bar is deflectedto release the seat without any possible injury to the mechanism.

My improved seat operating mechanism includes a pair of complementary latching plates each having catch and a cam surface. These cam surfaces cooperate with the `flexible rod or bar carried by the pivoted seat support so that the pivoted latch plates are manipulated to proevide the desired sequence of operations.

The various objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent upon considering the following detailed description of *ie typical embodiment thereof illustrated. in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a iront elevation of the seat operating mechanism', sterilizing cabinet, and the toilet seat in raised position, parts being broken away to show details of construction;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section view of the apparatus shown in Fig. i.;

lugs. 3-6, inclusive, are enlarged transverse section views of a portion of the mechanism illustrating the operation of the latching plates and part of the switch mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an installation including a toilet bowl and the toilet seat operatn ing mechanismwth the seat in raised position;

Fig. 8 Vis a perspectivev View similar toV Fig. "l showing the toilet seat in a lowered' intermediate position,` partsV being cut away to illustratedee tailsfo'f construction'; Y

Figs. 9 and 10 are detailed views showing the complementary latching plates; and

Fig. ll is a circuit diagram showing the circuit connections for the sterilizing lamp and the solenoid.

The apparatus illustrated in Figs. l-l0, inclusive, comprising a toilet bowl I of ordinary construction having the usual bolt holes at the rear thereof for receiving the clamping bolts 19. The heads of these bolts 19 are carried in bayonet slots formed by bearing brackets 80 and the bottom of a toilet seat cabinet 1. A rod or bar 2 is mounted in bearings 8l carried by the brackets 80 to form a pivoted support for the toilet seat. The brackets 89 may be welded or otherwise permanently fixed to the bottom of the cabinet 1. The toilet seat proper may be a continuous seat or it may be formed of two seat halves as shown at 3, these seat elements being fixed to the bar 2. The bar 2 carries a bell crank 5 connected to a push rod 8. The push rod 6 is mounted in the cabinet 1. This cabinet has a front cover 3 hinged at 9 and normally locked in closed position by a key lock I0. The push rod 6 is telescoped inside a tube II connected to the plunger I2 of a solenoid I3 mounted in the upper part of the cabinet 1. The push rod 6 carries a pair of metal disks I4 and I5. A coiled spring I6 engages the disks I4 and I5. The disks I4 and I5 are loosely mounted on the push rod 6 and pins I1 and I8 mounted in the push rod 6 limit the movement of these disks toward the extremities of the push rod. The guiding tube II enclosing the larger portion of the push rod 6 is provided with inwardly bent projections I9 and 20 for engaging the disks I4 and I5.

The pivoted bar support 2 carries a second bell crank 2I (see Fig. l) connected to the piston rod 22 of a dashpot 23 pivoted to the cabinet 1 as shown at 24. end connected to a fixture 26 mounted in the cabinet 1, with its other end connected to a bell crank 21.

The arrangement of the parts described above is such that when the coil 28 of the solenoid I3 is energized the solenoid plunger I2 is drawn upward immediately to raise the tube I I containing the coiled spring I6. The push rod 6 is not moved as rapidly as the tube I I because its movement is restrained by the dashpot 2'3 which is also connected to the pivoted support 2. The relative displacement of the push rod tube II and the push rod 6 which thus occurs upon the solenoid being energized, serves to compress the spring I and this spring then raises the push rod 6 slowly as controlled by the dashpot, to lower the toilet seat and to apply tension to the seat raising spring 25. This slow movement of the toilet seat, caused by the action of the coil spring I6 continues until the seat reaches the intermediate lowered position shown in Figs. 4 and 8. The seat is latched in this intermediate position by a mechanism which will now be described.

The latch mechanism, best illustrated in Figs. 3-6 and in Figs. 9 and 10, comprises a pair of complementary latch plates 29 and 30, each pivoted on a bracket 3| secured to the cabinet wall. Thus the plate 30 which may be characterized as a catch plate, is pivoted at 3'2, and the plate 29 which may be referred to as a stop plate, is pivoted at 33. A spring 34 tends to move the stop plate 29 forward and downward. A spring bar 35 is carried by the pivoted support 2 fixed to the toilet seat 3. Fig. 3 shows the parts in the position they occupy when the seat is in its raised position oc- A seat raising spring 25 has one A 4 cupyng a recess in the face of the cabinet. When the solenoid I3 is energized to raise the rod 6 through the action of the coil spring I6, the seat is lowered to a position illustrated in Fig. 4. The spring rod 35 is raised as the Seat is lowered and the rounded end 36 thereof engages the lower surface of the stop plate 29 and the lower surface 31 of the catch plate 3D to raise the stop plate 29 to the position shown in Fig. 4. The movement of the spring bar 35 continues until the end of this bar engages a catch or notch 49 formed in the lower edge of the stop plate. In this manner the seat 3 is held in the intermediate position illustrated in Fig. 4 by the spring bar 35 engaging the catch 40. The downward movement of the seat to this position is thus caused by ther action of the spring I6 placed under tension by the solenoid and as this movement occurs the seat-raising spring is placed under tension. With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 4 the seat cannot return to its vertical position automatically even though the solenoid is then deenergized as hereinafter explained, because the seat is latched in this position by the spring bar 35 cooperating with the stop plate.

When the seat is pressed down from this intermediate position, however, the spring bar 35 rides on a cam surface 4I on the said lower edge of the stop plate, as best illustrated in Fig. 5 and this raises the stop plate 29 to permit the catch plate 3U to drop back into the position shown in Fig. 5 where the catch 38 thereof may again engage the projection 3S on the stop plate. This latches the two plates 29 and 30 together as illustrated in Fig. 6 with the stop plate 29 in a raised position so as to permit free movement of the spring bar 35 back to its original position when the toilet seat is released. A pin 42 carried by the bracket plate 3l engages openings 43 and 44 in the plates 29 and 30 to prevent accidental displacement of these complementary latch members while at the same time permitting necessary movement thereof into and out of latching position as described above. It will be understood that the catch plate 39 has a cam surface 31 for engagement by the rounded end of the spring bar 35 and a catch 38 extending laterally to be engaged by the projection 39 on the stop plate 29. This stop pjlate also has a lower cam surface 4I and a catch 40 cooperating with the spring bar 35 as described above. When the seat is released from its horizontal position, the spring bar 35 engages the cam surface 31 of the catch plate 3i) to raise this plate, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, to unlatch the plates 29 and 39 from each other whereupon the stop plate 2'9 drops to the position shown in Fig. 3 and the catch plate is held in a raised position with the free end of the stop plate 29 engaging the side of the catch 38 on the catch plate 39. When the latch mechanism is thus released, the spring 25 then moves the seat to the raised position within the cabinet. Since the dashpot 23 is connected directly to the pivoted bar support 2, it controls the upward as well as the downward movement of the seat under the influence of the respective springs 25 and I5. Dashpots capable of restraining action in both directions are well known in the art, and the details of such a dashpot form no part of the present invention.

The bar 35 is made in the form of a flexible spring member so as to make it possible to force the seat 3 upward from the position shown in Fig. 4 without injury to the mechanism, it being understood that when the seat is thus forced upward from this position, the spring bar 35 snaps out of engagement with the catch 40 and returns to its initial position as shown in Fig. 3.

As stated above, the cabinet 1 contains a sterilizing lamp. This lamp is shown at 45 in the drawings.

The electric circuit for supplying current to the sterilizing lamp and to the solenoid I3 is illustrated in Fig. l1. An ordinary plug connector 46 is employed for connecting the electric circuit to an ordinary service outlet. A push button 41 is mounted at some convenient location on the cabinet 1 and by pressing this push button the coil 28 of the solenoid I3 is energized, the circuit being as follows: Push button 41, Wires 48, 49, solenoid coil 28 and wires 50 and 5l leading to the supply plug 46. The other side of the supply line is connected to the push button 41 through wires 52, terminal block 53, wire 54, switch contacts 55, wire 56, switch contacts 51 and wire 58. When the seat is in its vertical position as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, for example, the contacts 51 are held closed by a bar 59 fixed to the pivoted hinge support 2 and engaging L-shaped rocker arm or lever 6D which holds the contacts 51 closed as best illustrated in Fig. 3. The contacts 55 are normally closed contacts and accordingly when the seat is in the vertical or raised position, the closing of the cirg cuit at the push button 41 serves to energize the solenoid coil and initiate the movement of the seat downward from its raised position. As soon as the solenoid is energized and raises the plunger I 2, a projection 62 at the top thereof closes switch contacts 63 connected in series with a resistance element 64 to form aholding circuit in parallel with the push button 41 and the contacts 51 that open as soon as the bar 59 swings upward. The circuit will then remain closed through contacts 63 when the push button is released and the solenoid will remain energized until the seat is lowered to the intermediate position shown in Fig. 4, at which time the switch actuating bar 59 carried by the pivoted seat support engages the switch actuating member 65 to open the switch contacts 55, thus deenergizing the solenoid and opening the contacts 63. When the seat is released from its horizontal position and returns toward its vertical position, the contacts 55 close to prepare the holding circuit, and the contacts 51 are closed by action of the bar 59 to prepare the push button circuit.

The switch block 66 for the holding circuit contacts 63 and the series resistor 64 which reduces the supply of current to the solenoid after contacts 63 close and after the push button circuit is opened, may also include a thermal overload cut out to prevent any damage from overheating in the control circuit. Thus the support for one of the contacts 63 may be in the form of a bimetallic strip heated by the resistance element 64 so that if the solenoid coil 28 accidentally remains energized for any considerable period of time, this contact support will be deflected to open the contacts 63.

The sterilizing lamp 45 is connected to the suD- ply of current through wires 52 and 61, a lamp ballast 68, wire 58, terminal block 53, wire 10 to lamp terminals 19 and 80 and then wire 1|, lamp starter 12, wire 13, lamp terminals 14 and 15, wire 15, switch contacts 11, wire 18, terminal block 53, and wire 5I. The contacts 11 open when the seat starts to move downward, at which time the switch actuating arm 59 swings upward away from the rocker arm 60. The contacts 11 then separate as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, breaking the lamp circuit so that the lamp is energized only when the seat is in the raised position, in the cabinet.

It is to be understood that my invention is not limited to the specific embodiment thereof described above in detail and illustrated in the accompanying drawings but includes such modifications thereof as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of a pivoted support, a toilet seat carried thereby and movable from a raised position to a substantially horizontal position, a seat raising spring connected to said support, solenoid actuated means connected to said support for lowering the seat and for applying tension to said spring, latching means for holding the seat in a lowered position, and means responsive to movement of the seat fromsaid lowered position to said substantially horizontal position for releasing the latching means to permit said :spring to raise the seat, the said latching means comprising complementary pivoted plates each having a catch and a cam surface, a latch bar carried by said support for engaging the catch on one of said plates whereby the seat is latched in said lowered position, and lfor thereafter engaging the cam surface of said one plate to latch the same to the other plate in a raised position whereby the seat may be raised, and for then engaging the cam surface of said other plate to unlatch the plates from each other.

2. The combination with a pivoted support, a toilet seat carried thereby, a seat raising spring connected to said support, solenoid actuated means connected to said support for lowering the seat and for applying tension to said spring, of latching means comprising complementary pivoted plates each having a catch and a cam surface, a spring latch bar carried by said support for engaging the catch on one of said plates to releasably latch the seat in a lowered position, and for engaging the cam surface of said one plate when the seat is lowered from said position, to latch the said plates to each other, and for then engaging the cam surface of said other plate to unlatch the plates from each other.

KURT BEYRODT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,200,687 Bercot May 14, 1940 2,276,989 Levesque Mar. 1'7, 1942 2,281,265 Campbell Apr. 28, 1942 2,300,904 Beyrodt Nov. 3, 1942 2,300,936 Krenzer Nov. 3, 1942 2,329,240 Bendon et al Sept. 14, 1943 2,440,231 Davidson Apr. 20, 1948 

